


Words of the Rain

by TigerOfSummer



Category: Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-04
Updated: 2014-03-18
Packaged: 2018-01-14 12:31:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1266679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TigerOfSummer/pseuds/TigerOfSummer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A slightly more UST-filled rendition of Daryl and Beth's escape from the prison.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It was hardest when dusk fell. Sleep deprived, body aching from fatigue, Beth cursed her own eyes for being so slow to adjust to the fading light. She made sure to stay on his heels as they cleared their way through the underbrush, thin branches whipping away at their exposed arms. Keeping up was becoming a struggle, but she had no choice. She would pretend to be a survivor until she actually believed she was one.

The dark grew so thick she could barely see her own hand in front of her before they finally reached a clearing. A road and an abandoned, decrepit car, it’s owner decaying half way out of the front seat. 

They were panicked, in truth. They’d been running from a handful of walkers when the light was still out. The darker the forest became, the more snarling voices it seemed were added to the herd. Every swipe of a leaf or branch felt like hungry fingers grasping for her flesh. Daryl nodded towards the front of the car, but Beth knew it was hopeless before even trying. Despite this, she gave the engine a try. _Nothing_.

Daryl was getting a little jumpy when she got out, his crossbow aimed toward the rustling forest. He realized it hadn’t worked. They had no choice but to hide out in the trunk of the car until the herd made its passage. He got in first and pushed as far as he could toward the back to make room for her. Beth practically jumped in, the adrenaline getting the best of her. 

“Sorry,” she hissed when she kneed his thigh.

“S’alright, just stay quiet.”

Squirming in the confined space she tried to get comfortable while Daryl reached over her to pull the hood of the trunk down. Beth hurriedly tied the door closed as much as she could, with just enough space to see through.

They were engulfed in darkness again, the only light a thing slimmer from the opening she left for ventilation. The growling grew louder. _Please walk by us. Please._ The blood-curdling sounds turned into a wild roar and Beth’s heart skipped two beats when they started thudding against the car, shaking all of it’s contents including them.

Daryl was behind her but his crossbow was trained at the little space allowed to see the outside world. Shadows passed but none made deliberately for the trunk, Beth realized with relief. His arms still hung over her though and she lay as low as she could to get out of his way. The jolting movements of the car kept Beth’s back accidently thudding against his chest multiple times. She would only look at his face in forgiveness, too afraid to say a word. He didn’t seem to notice, however, eyes fixated towards the walkers.

With sense of sight dulled from the darkness, Beth could hear them as if they were screaming directly into her ears, but she couldn’t smell them. All she smelled was Daryl. It didn’t smell terrible, though they were both in a cold sweat. He smelled like… _like a man, like the woods when they aren’t as menacing. When they’re at peace. Daryl._ Finding solace in that thought she almost dozed off before catching herself, feeling guilt wash over her. 

“Go on, get some sleep. I got this,” he whispered.

“We might have to fight any second.” A thud jolted them both. She was almost in his lap before she caught herself by placing her hand on his stomach. _Shit. _She quickly removed it.__

__“Not if you keep talking,” he growled._ _

__The jolt had her fully awake now. There was no sleeping. An awkward silence ensued, or at least so it seemed to Beth. In an effort to prevent her backside from rubbing up against Daryl’s groin she had to grab at his abdomen instead, as if that was any better. She held onto the other side of the trunk, as far away from him as possible._ _

__

__He was like some kind of big hungry feline, the way his eyes stayed intent on any target that might happen by. It seemed he hadn’t moved from his position for hours, for dawn was finally upon them. By the look of him it seemed no time had passed at all._ _

__Beth untied the piece of cloth holding the trunk door down. The sun on her skin made her feel as though she had just broke through some shell of herself. Her limbs ached, her whole body ached. She was sure Daryl felt worse, but he barely showed it._ _

There was no way to know what he was thinking. He was reserved in every aspect of himself. Without a word they gathered whatever objects might prove useful to them and made on their way to… _somewhere._

__

__Fire was especially glorious when one worked diligently to bring it life from scratch. With that, Beth took pride in her little hearth. She gently blew on the delicate flames. In a moment, it was big enough to provide even for some heat, let alone cook the fat snake Daryl had hunted._ _

__The humble camp they’d built would only do for a day or so, Beth thought as she picked at her charred, stringy meat. It wasn’t good but she needed some sustenance in whatever way she could get it. It smelled good, at the very least. Unbidden her thoughts drifted back to Maggie, those times they’d have a real barbecue in the fields during the holidays. She was too young to drink then but she would get close enough to Maggie’s beer before she swiped it from under nose. A dull ache in her heart made her lift her head to see Daryl ravaging his meal._ _

__“I need a drink,” she said to him.  
Without even looking up from his chomping he threw the dirty old bottle of water in her direction._ _

__“No I mean a real drink, as in alcohol...” her voice drifted off._ _

No response. _Patience, Beth._

“I’ve never had one,” she continued. “’Cause of my dad, but he’s not exactly around anymore so…” _So we might as well do something with our pointless lives._ She fidgeted with grass as she waited for his answer. 

Still nothing. He continued to mindlessly devour his food. It was infuriating. _Last try._

__“I thought we could go find some. I’m twenty one now, not that the law makes any difference at this point.”_ _

__When he deigned to give a response she just got up._ _

__“Okay, well enjoy your snake jerky.”_ _

__Picking up the knife he had given her, she made on her way to find her first drink. What else was there left to do at this point in their lives? The world was theirs for the taking, besides the hurdles that were walkers; they might as well milk it for all it’s worth while they’re still alive._ _

__

__Beth didn’t make it far before running into four of them, growling and foraging as they always did. She was quick to hide behind a thick trunk and quickly throw a rock in the opposite direction to change their course. A snapping of twigs underfoot made her jump._ _

_Daryl._ Part of her thought he wouldn’t follow her, so she was relieved to see him by her side still. She didn’t think she needed to apologize out loud; she just followed him through the forest, going back to their usual routine. 

__After some time had passed Beth figured they could make their way around to some civilization._ _

__“I think we’re far enough, I’m pretty sure we have to go that way to-“ a tugging at her knees made her halt. They were back at their makeshift camp._ _

__“What the hell?! You brought me back…” She couldn’t hold back. “I’m not staying at this suck-ass camp!” Beth flipped Daryl off._ _

__“Hey!” She was turning to leave before Daryl grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her towards him. She bumped against his chest, too angry at being pushed around to care._ _

__“You’ve had your fun,” he snarled._ _

__“Let go, you’re hurting my hand.” He loosened his grip on her. She started, “What the hell is wrong with you? Don’t you feel anything?” Beth bravely shoved at his chest but his grip on her wrist brought her back towards him._ _

__“Yeah you think everything’s screwed, I guess that’s a feeling. So you wanna spend the rest of our lives staring into a fire and eating mudsnakes? Screw that! We might was well do something.”_ _

__If he wasn’t planning on letting go of her wrist, she’s just use her arm like a leash on a dog and drag him along with her._ _

“I can take of myself and I’m gonna get a damn drink.” She tugged at him but he let her go. _Your choice, jerk._

__Soon enough, she heard his familiar footsteps following her from behind._ _

__

__Another clearing, this time not a road, but an overgrown golf course. The country club was a short distance away. A small herd of walkers were on the far end of the course, but they hadn’t seemed to notice them yet._ _

__“Golfers liked to booze it up, right?” she asked rhetorically._ _

__They didn’t have much of a choice but to take refuge in the place. There was a darkening overcast and the rumble of thunder could be heard from the distance. The front door was locked, but they walked over some corpses to get to a back door that led into a common room with its expensive carpeting lined with even more corpses. Beth was immune to the images of death by now, but this eerie beyond anything she experienced._ _

__The walkers hanging from the ceiling didn’t do much to lighten her mood, either._ _

__From the corner of her eye she spied Daryl frantically shoving jewels and cash into a leather backpack._ _

__“Why are you keeping all that stuff?” she inquired._ _

__He simply looked at her, but before he could say anything there was that familiar cacophony of growls at their door, forcefully pushing on the weakened hinges. Beth sprinted after Daryl through a doorway before he shoved the doors closed behind them._ _

__They cautiously explored the premises, passing by empty kitchen stores and closets, pieces of broken wine bottles scattered everywhere they stepped. It seemed empty for the most part. Beth let herself feel some relief. She even came across a gift shop that some clothes in her size. Making sure Daryl was out of sight, she stripped out of her dirty tank tops and put on a crisp, yellow collar shirt and white cardigan._ _

__Daryl looked indifferent when he saw she had changed._ _

__“They didn’t have your size,” she chided._ _

__Two beams of light from their flashlights for guidance, they came across a huge door with the words _Presidential Suite_ inscribed in gold. She looked at Daryl, expression asking for the go-ahead. He stepped in front of her instead and checked the door. The satisfying turn of his wrist meant it was unlocked. _ _

__He cautiously made his way into the room, crossbow first, finger waiting on the trigger. Beth stepped in after him, knife unsheathed._ _

__“It’s clear,” he said, coming out from some other room in the private apartment._ _

__Beth was instantaneously taken aback by the enormity of the room. The ceilings were tall with long, heavy curtains pulled back to reveal a view facing west, a lucky happenstance since it provided some much needed light into the room. The overcast made it feel like dusk when Beth knew it could only have been midday._ _

__Daryl was sifting through some papers on a large, mahogany desk. She saw he had barred the door with a golf club. Walking towards the window Beth looked to her left into the other room to see it was a bedroom with a queen-sized bed. It was untouched, the bedding pristine but for a layer of dusk which could easily be shaken out. The under covers were probably clean. Her body ached to just crawl into bed and sleep for days._ _

__A gentle tapping on the window introduced the rain._ _

__She was just about to explore the presidential bathroom before Daryl called out to her._ _

__“Greene, get over here,” he said._ _

__When she saw him, he had a half empty glass bottle in his hand._ _

__“Look what I got,” he brought the bottle up near his face and shook it around._ _

__“What is it?” Beth asked._ _

__“Vodka.”_ _

__“Is it any good?”  
“It’ll do.”_ _

__Beth blew out the dust from a small glass she found on a shelf and Daryl poured some of the drink into it._ _

__“Alright,” he sighed, “that’s your first drink right there.”_ _

She stared at the cup. Nervousness crept over her. This was going to be disappointing; she just had a feeling about it. _Screw it,_ she thought, and took a sip. 

__And almost gagged. “That’s the most disgusting thing I’ve ever tasted.”_ _

__He raised his eyebrow a fraction in amusement. She downed the rest of the rat poison and proceeded to fill another glass._ _

__“Second round’s better,” she smiled._ _

__“Slow down,” he cautioned._ _

__“This one’s for you-“_ _

__“Nah, I’m good.”_ _

__“Why?” Beth quickly realized drinking alone was probably the loneliest thing._ _

__“Someone’s gotta keep watch,” he said, matter-of-factly._ _

__“So what, you’re like my chaperone now?” she teased. Maybe if she lightened up the conversation he would give in._ _

__“Just drink lots of water…” he said as he walked toward the bedroom._ _

__“Yes Mr. Dixon.”_ _

__He halted, eyed her for a moment. She was watching him walk away when their eyes met. He broke contact first, turning to explore more of the room beyond._ _

After a long moment Beth followed him into the room, drink and bottle in hand. He was lying on the bed with his arms beneath his head, crossbow at his side. He looked relaxed and… _enticing. Stop, Beth, it’s the drink talking._

__“Is this what you call ‘keeping watch?’”_ _

__“I sleep with one eye open.”_ _

__She didn’t doubt that, after watching him stay up all night with his crossbow held steadfastly. His pale blue eyes followed her through half closed lids as she made her way around the side of the bed. It took some courage for her to climb on top of it._ _

__Daryl made no move, let alone any protests. The crossbow was between them; there was enough room for all three. I_ _

__“If we’re trapped in here we might as well make the best of it.” She offered him the glass._ _

__He seemed to hesitate for an instant before sitting up and taking it._ _

__“Hell, might as well.”_ _

__Beth studied him as he drank. For all he annoyed her with his detached silences, she was glad he didn’t say a word in this instant. There was still a lingering sheen of sweat that glistened on his muscled arm in the fading light. His relaxation combined with the soft tapping of rain soothed her nerves, made her feel at ease for once._ _

__A crack of lightning, and the inevitable thunder that followed made them both look toward the windows. The rain came down a little harder._ _

__“Gimme some of that,” she demanded, reaching for the cup over the crossbow._ _

__He looked at her eyes, and then his gaze descended on her. That made her feel somewhat exposed. She’d seen that look before, in the eyes of past admirers._ _

__“What’s the matter?” she asked._ _

__“You think you can handle any more of this?”_ _

__“I’ve barely had any to begin with, give it.”_ _

__He surrendered the glass, her fingers overlapping his for an instant. An instant that resonated in her senses, much more than any such casual a touch should have. She refilled the glass._ _


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know there's a lot of original dialogue from the ep here. My reason for this is that I like to stick as closely to canon as possible, to the point where the deviations from canon can actually seem like something that would fit and might possibly happen. I want it to be as true to the characters as possible so hope you guys enjoy

“So first, I say something I’ve never done, and if you have done it, you drink.” Some time had passed between them in silence, lying there on the comfortable bed slowly drinking the liquor. Beth decided to introduce an old game she remembered from high school but had never actually played herself. Daryl looked somewhat intrigued, but it was it was hard to tell from his usual distant expression. 

“And if you haven’t, I drink. Then we switch. You really never played this game before?”

“I ain’t never needed a game to get lit before.”

Beth was confused. “Wait, have we started?”

“How do you know this game?” he asked. Fair question, since she told him she never drank before.

“My friends played it. I watched.”

She waited, but he said nothing. He had one knee up on the bed, an elbow resting there with drink in hand. 

“Okay, I’ll start. I’ve never shot a crossbow,” she said.

Daryl furrowed his brow before taking a drink. “Hell of a game.”

She figured he might mock her about it, but she urged him on anyway. “Your turn.”

“I never been outta Georgia,” he rasped. 

Beth looked at him. _How sad…_ to have seen nothing of the world outside of one’s own home state seemed so… _confined._ If only there was some way she could show him New Orleans or Disney World in Florida the way it was before everything went to shit. She drank.

“I’ve never been drunk and did something I regretted.”

He shifted. “I never been on vacation,” he said in a scathing tone. Beth didn’t realize it until after she drank.

“I’ve never been to jail,” she started. “I mean, as a real prisoner.”

Daryl didn’t move but for a tilt of his head so he could get a clear sight of her. His eyes seemed puffy either from drink or exhaustion or both. Beth was going to say more before he finally spoke.

“Is that what you think of me?”

Her heart sank. Suddenly, she was afraid of this man on the bed with her. He seemed out of reach and dangerously too close all at once. _I messed up. Shit!_

“Wait no, prison guard? Come on, that must’ve been what you were doing before,” she tried. 

He bolted out of bed. That made her flinch. “I gotta piss.”

An empty glass bottle had the misfortune of getting in his way when he kicked it and it shattered against the wall to the left. 

“Daryl, stop!” she hissed desperately. “We have to keep quiet.” Beth prayed they weren’t heard. 

“Can’t hear ya I’m taking a piss!” he practically roared. Then he pulled down the zipper of his ragged pants and started pissing in the doorway of the bathroom. He didn’t even bother going in. Beth was too shocked to stop herself staring. Then he looked at her. And wouldn’t stop looking at her while he stuffed himself back in his pants. She was frozen where she lay, not knowing what he was capable of doing next. “Daryl…”

“What?” He was buckling his belt. “Never seen a man before either? Perfect little virgin bitch, what else?” He was pacing, heated. “I never had frozen yogurt, never got no gifts from Santa!” Beth was at a loss for words. “Never depended on no one for nothin’!”

Daryl was unrelenting. Then he was in her face, crisscrossing his wrists. Beth shrunk back. “I never cut myself for attention,” he growled. He was deliberately looking for anyway to hurt her now without physically doing so. But Beth knew he wanted to, she could see it in his stance. She hoped against hope he would leave her be.

Then he confirmed her fears. 

“Never shot a crossbow. Come on, I’ll show you.” He dragged her by the arm out of bed, a sharp pain in the socket of her shoulder and the pinching of his fingers in her bicep leading her out into the main room. 

“Ow! Daryl, no! Stop-“ She feebly struggled against him. A forceful kick snapped the golf club locking the door in half and Daryl swayed slightly. _He’s too drunk. We both are._ “Daryl, please, we shouldn’t being going out there right now, please.” They found themselves engulfed in darkness. 

The flickering gleam on two pale, floating orbs announced the walker. It was slow, shuffling its way down the hallway where they had come from earlier, the orbs getting closer and closer. “Come on.” This beast of a man sounded chillingly eager. “Come on, fucker!” 

He shot an arrow through its chest, pinning it to a nearby wooden grandfather clock that made some distorted melodic noise. He grabbed Beth around her shoulders, roughly pressed her back against his chest. She grasped at his forearm.

Heavy crossbow now nestled over her shoulder, he growled into her ear. “Go on, fucking shoot it.” He pressed on the trigger, discharging another arrow into the walker. 

“No,” Beth yelled, managing to pry herself from his grasp. She sprinted towards the walker and in one fell swoop, unsheathed her dagger and stabbed it right in the eye, the satisfying crunch at the back of it’s skull signaling it’s end. 

She turned on her heals then, making straight for Daryl, all fear abandoned. With all her might she shoved at him. 

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” She pushed until he was back into the room, away from the hallway. He grabbed at her shoving hands. 

“The hell do you want from me, girl, huh?” he snarled. 

“I want you stop acting like you don’t give a crap about anything.” Beth realized she was slurring her words a bit, but it didn’t matter. She knew exactly what she wanted to say.

“Like nothing we went through matters, like none of the people we lost meant anything to you. It’s bullshit!” she spat.

He took one step back, like a bull ready to charge. “Is that what you think…”

“That’s what I know,” she declared. 

Before she could even blink his face was a mere inch from hers, his hot breath wafting on her skin. Beth stood her ground, looked him dead in the eyes, daring him to do cross that line.

“You don’t know nothin’,” he said.

“I know something,” she countered, getting closer. He moved back. “I know you look at me and see just another dead girl. I’m not Michonne, or Carol, Maggie. But I survived and you don’t get it ‘cause I’m not like you or them. But guess what, I made it just like you, so you don’t get to treat me like crap because you’re _afraid._ ”

His face was almost completely enshrouded, facing away from the moonlight. “I ain’t afraid of nothin’.” He sounded like he was trying to convince himself, let alone Beth. 

“No, I remember, when that little girl came out of the barn after my mom…” He visibly retracted. 

“You were like me,” Beth went on, “and now, god forbid you let anyone get to close.”

“Too close, huh? You know all about that.” It was her turn to move back now. “You lost two boyfriends, you can’t even shed a tear. Your whole family’s gone, all you can do is go out lookin’ for hooch like some dumb college bitch!”

“Screw you, you don’t get it!”

“No, _you_ don’t get it,” he barked, “Everyone we know is dead.”

“You don’t know that-“

“Might as well be ‘cause you ain’t never gonna see them again. Rick…” he trailed off, twisting, and then reeled back, “You ain’t never gonna see Maggie again!”

Those words hit her like a punch in the gut. She wasn’t nearly as pessimistic as to think she would never see her older sister again. To even fathom such a notion was almost impossible to her. Unless she saw Maggie killed… _No, I’ll find her. I know I will. We’ll find each other._

“Stop, Daryl,” she conceded, reaching out toward his arm.

“Nah! Damn Governor rode right up to our fucking gates. Maybe if I wouldn’t have stopped lookin’, if I hadn’t gave up, that’s on me.”

Realization, and then guilt. Beth should have known he was carrying the burden of fault about the prison. All of this arguing would have been avoided if she had just paid a little more attention, she thought. His shoulders shook. 

“Your dad... maybe I coulda done something…”

Without a thought’s hesitation she ensnared him in her arms, chest pressed against his turned back, the dirty, faded wings patched against the worn leather. He shook with sobs without restraint. Beth hated this. Hated that he blamed himself. She grabbed him as tight as she could, determined to stay right there however long he needed to let it all out. Eventually she felt him lean into her embrace. 

***

After barring the door again late into the night, they decided to give themselves a much needed break. Beth would get first watch while Daryl got some much-needed sleep. She’d wake him after a time and have her turn. This is how it went in the woods; it’d have to be the same in this abandoned country club, no matter how safe and secluded they appeared to be. 

Any remaining alcohol was either used for cleaning up or saved for defense purposes. Daryl spoke about maybe making some sort of firebomb with a rag and a match with it if it came down to it. She hoped they wouldn’t need to resort to that, but knowing a weapon could be forged from it made her feel a bit safer.

They sat on the floor of the bedroom as they ate whatever canned foods they had scrounged up from their search of the kitchens. Beth spoke up. 

“I get why my dad stopped drinking,” she admitted.

“You feel sick?” He sounded genuinely concerned, which was nice to hear.

“No, I wish I could feel like this all the time.” It felt like some bizarre mixture of relaxed and exhilarated and it just made her feel like she didn’t need to care anymore. About anything.

“That’s bad,” she added with a grin.

“You’re lucky you’re a happy drunk.”

“Yeah, I’m lucky. Some of us can be real jerks when we’re drunk.”

He was done with his dinner by then, toying with the dagger he had given her. Beth was surprised when she heard what he said next.

“I’m a dick when I’m drunk,” he grunted, and he gave her his own smirk right back. Close enough to an apology she’d ever get. _Good enough._

After what seemed like a long moment, he began to speak, unbidden. 

“Merle had this dealer, janky little white guy. Tweaker.” Beth decided against asking what all that even meant but she kept quiet, not wanting to interrupt this rare moment. 

“One day we were over at his house, watching TV. It wasn’t even noon yet, we were all wasted. Merle was high. We were watching this show…Merle was talking all this dumb stuff about it. He wouldn’t let up. Merle never could.

“Turns out, it was this tweaker’s kids’ favorite show, and he never see’s his kids so… he felt guilty about it or somethin’. So he _punches_ Merle in the face, so I started hitting the tweaker like hard, hard as I can. Then he pulls a gun, sticks it right here,” he pointed at the side of his head. “Said ‘I’m gonna kill you, bitch.’ So then Merle pulls _his_ gun. 

“Everyone’s yelling, I’m yelling. I thought I was dead. Over a dumb cartoon about a talking dog.” He looked down then, something like shame in his posture. 

Beth couldn’t let it end there. “How’d you get out of it?”

“Tweaker punched me in the gut. I puked. They both started laughing.” He laughed then, but whether it was because he thought it was funny or completely ridiculous Beth couldn’t tell. 

“We forgot all about it…” 

Beth just stared at him, waiting for more. It seemed life before and life now hadn’t changed much for Daryl, she was beginning to realize. This was usual to him.

“You wanted to know where I was before all this,” he continued. “I was just drifting around with Merle. Doing whatever he said we were gonna be doing that day.” 

He met her gaze. “I was nobody. Nothin’.” Beth felt a surge of sympathy for him. “Some redneck asshole with an even bigger asshole for a brother.”

Something in the way he said ‘brother’ caught Beth’s attention. 

“You miss him, don’t you,” she ventured. “I miss Maggie. I miss her bossing me around… I miss my big brother Shawn. He was so annoying and overprotective. And my dad. I thought… I hoped he would just live the rest of his life in peace, you know. I thought, Maggie and Glenn would have a baby, he would get to be a grandpa… and we’d have _birthdays_ and holidays and summer picnics.”

It was starting to hurt now, in the very core of her heart. Her chest felt tight, but she wanted to let it out.

“And he’d get really old, and it would happen but it’d be quiet. It’d be okay,” she cooed. 

“He’d be surrounded by people he loved.” The battle for composure was lost. Tears rolled down her face. Her voice cracked. “That’s so unbelievably stupid,” she choked. She knew she shouldn’t have but she took another swig of the vodka, hiding her face behind the bottle.

“That’s how it’s supposed to be,” Daryl soothed. 

She sighed. “I wish I could just…change.”

“You did.”

“No, not like you. You were made for how things are now.”

“I’m just used to this, things being ugly.” He met her eyes again, and that made her blush for some reason. Then he quickly looked away. “Growing up in a place like this.”

“You got away from it,” she said.

“I didn’t-“

“You _did_ ,” she insisted.

“Maybe you gotta keep on reminding me sometimes…”

“No, can’t depend on anyone for anything, right?” She smiled.

He held her gaze.

She decided to tease him. “I’ll be gone someday.”

“Stop,” he whispered. 

“I will! You’re gonna be the last man standing.” He looked troubled at that. 

“You are,” she continued. “You’re gonna miss me so bad when I’m gone, Daryl Dixon.”

He stared at her. “You’re not a happy drunk at all-“

“Yeah I’m happy, I’m just not blind. You gotta save who you are, not who you were. Places like this… you have to put it away.”

“What if you can’t?”

“You have to,” Beth said. “Or it kills you,” she placed her hand over her heart, “right here.”

***

She was fumbling around in the dark before going back into the bedroom. She managed to gather all of heir belongings compactly into two backpacks, ready to carry at an instant’s notice. She carried them into the bedroom. A big lump of blankets covered Daryl’s sleeping form on the bed. He was on his stomach, head turned toward the window where the moonlight shone on his face. His right arm was thrown across the pillow overhead, like trying to hug it from below. Oddly enough he seemed to fit right in to the aesthetic. He looked…peaceful. 

Taking a step forward she stumbled on a pile of something soft cluttered at the edge of the bed. The drink from earlier made her head pound. She picked something up from the pile. The little light that was in the room reflected against the leather of Daryl’s vest. And something else. She grabbed down and picked up… pants. 

Daryl took off his pants. 

Warmth flooded to her face, chest and lower still. She swallowed once, moved around to where he had rested his crossbow on the edge of the bed. She almost got under the covers but decided against it, gently getting on top instead, next to where he lay. She pulled the crossbow up into her lap as silently as she could so as not to disturb him. 

She looked down at him to her left, listened to his shallow breathing. He had opened up to her more today than he ever had before. She knew he suffered some traumatic stuff growing up, especially with that brute Merle. Beth never once trusted him for an instant. But she trusted Daryl. He had some deep seeded affection for his brother he couldn’t relinquish no matter how much Merle hurt him, and he still accepted that he was his only brother regardless of how crappy he was to him. She respected that aspect of their relationship, at least. 

Sighing, she played with the heavy device in her lap, trying to figure out how it all worked. It wasn’t loaded so she fingered the trigger a bit. Aimed at a portrait on the wall, pretended to shoot. 

Daryl’s breathing hiked for an instant. Probably a bad dream. Setting the crossbow down, she looked at him again, but this time not his face. The arm he’d draped across the pillow looked so tight with its lean muscle. _Would he feel it if I just…_

She rolled onto her right side, just close enough but still not touching him. With her left hand she hovered over his fingertips at the top of the pillow. Then she touched him. Lightly, barely there caresses down the back of his hand, wrist, forearm, the hills and valleys of his biceps, his shoulder. She wanted to grab a handful of his overgrown hair.

She rolled onto her back then. It would be a while before she’d wake him. Unbidden images of Daryl came to her mind. _I’m still drunk, I guess._ Eyes on the ceiling, she imagined him with his hands on his belt, except he was undressing himself instead.

She was breathing deeply without realizing it. Setting the crossbow aside, she undressed to her most essentials and got under the sheets. It was insane, reckless even, but it was what she wanted to do. Beth wanted a drink, she got it. When she wanted to fire a crossbow, she got it. When she wanted to crawl into bed half naked with Mr. Dixon, she’d be damned if she didn’t get that too. 

Managing not to wake him, she wiggled about to get comfortable. Oh, was it comfortable. The linen sheets felt like heaven. A soft, quality mattress did wonders for her aches. Some instinct made her run her hand down her abdomen. What was it he said? _Never seen a man before?_ It was true. 

And she wanted to, so badly. Before she knew it the fingers of her left hand were rubbing on her clit over her panties. He was right there, half naked under these blankets with her. One of her knees was up, the leg near Daryl straight down. Her eyes roamed over his face past the mass of blankets, his naked arm. It was getting close, she was trying to keep as quiet as possible. She stared at his closed eyes.

And they opened.

Blood seemed to freeze in her veins, transforming her into a statue. 

He just looked at her and sighed. With the arm she had touched he punched up the pillow beneath to get a better look at her.  
“You should be asleep.” _My voice, thank god. I thought I lost it forever._

“Can’t do it,” he half whispered, half rasped. It was maddeningly alluring. She risked pressing down on her clit. He couldn’t see her where she was covered anyway.

“Why not,” she sighed. 

His arm came down under the blankets, in the space between them. 

“Come here.”

Curiosity, then nervousness settled in. “Why should I?” 

That’s when he moved. Lifting the sheets a bit to make his way over to her she caught a glimpse of his naked chest.

“I said,” he whispered roughly into her ear, “come _here,_ girl.” He pulled her by the waist into his embrace, much the same way she was holding him earlier that night. Beth couldn’t believe what was happening. He felt so warm. That same strong arm wrapped around her made her feel so incredibly safe. 

“Someone’s gotta keep watch,” Beth said, regretfully. 

“S’only for a bit.” His face was nestled in her hair, lips practically caressing her ear. His voice made her feel light-headed with arousal. 

“Daryl?” 

“Mmm”

“You were right, you know,” her voice was barely a whisper.

“About what,” he asked.

She swallowed her pride. “I’ve never _seen_ a man, that way you meant it.”

“I know, Greene. It’s alright, there isn’t much to see anyway.”

Then he did the unthinkable. He nibbled at her ear with his teeth. A moan almost escaped her lips. She turned her head slightly behind her.

“Daryl,” she sighed. “You’re trying to kill me.”

Beneath the blankets she found his rough, strong hand and guided it to her belly. Instead, he shoved his hand between her thighs and spread them, brought one leg up over his where she wouldn’t get tired of holding them open.  
Then his fingers pressed on her, directly over her nub. He cupped her crotch and rubbed ever so slowly, teasing her. 

His raspy voice filled her head again. “What were doing when you thought I was asleep, girl? You’re soaked.”

Beth wanted so much more than these scraps he was giving her. She wanted him to really _touch_. Enter her. “I was… touching myself” he rolled his fingers around more liberally. She grew bolder. “Mr. Dixon,” she gasped.

“Yea, Greene,” he rasped. 

She curled her fingers around his in answer, pressing into herself. Daryl pushed her hand away, then a hooked a finger in the elastic of her panties, pushing them to the side to reveal her pussy. Beth almost lost her mind when a finger glided along the wetness there, then moved circles around her opening. 

“Say it again,” he demanded. 

Beth could barely think straight; she was moaning and gasping without restraint now.

“Mr. Dixon, please.” He then slid his index finger inside, and she exploded with pleasure. He moved it in it and out, in circles around her entrance, then her clit, she rode out her orgasm in his knowing hand, exclaiming her need. 

After she was worn to the bone, she felt like collapsing. Daryl mercifully released her. He had to, or else things would’ve gone a step closer.

“You can sleep now, Greene.” He got up from the bed.

That frightened her. “Where are you going?”

“Just into the other room for a minute.”

Beth watched him leave, eyes heavy with sleep. It got the best of her mere moments afterward.


	3. Chapter 3

The sun’s light reflected in a haze through thin, grey clouds. Beth felt like she was standing under a giant umbrella. She had been in the middle of a nightmare when Daryl woke her abruptly from her slumber. It started out peaceful enough; she and Maggie were sitting by a lake they used to visit as kids. They sat near the bank, talking about something she couldn’t remember now. Something then stirred in the water a little further, a long snout. They’d seen alligators before so it shouldn’t have scared them. But when it started to climb onto the bank, the length of it’s body never seemed to stop growing. It was monstrous, and it was crawling slowly towards them. Beth got up and called out to Maggie, but she didn’t even seem to react to her. Her sister just sat there, staring. Beth screamed at her, the thing was getting closer with its fat belly dragging in the dirt; she was pulling on her sleeve-

“Beth.” Daryl stood a few paces behind her carrying his crossbow, interrupting her thoughts. Luckily they hadn’t needed to fight too hard to leave the country club. A sweater and pale green flannel worn under his vest covered his bare arms. The thought made her blush suddenly. 

He stepped closer to her through the grass and swaying branches of the bushes. 

“Here,” he said, handing the crossbow over to her. “It’s time you learned how properly use this baby.”

Beth lit up. “Really?”

“Yeah, never know when you might need it.”

“Like if something were to happen to you?”

“Something like that,” he sighed.

Beth saw the sense in that, though she knew that if anything would happen she’d be the first to go. It was just the way of things. “Alight, I’m ready.”

Daryl scanned their surroundings like reading a newspaper, hands on his hips and slight lean on his left leg. Where all Beth saw were twigs and leaves and dirt, Daryl saw a map. He spoke.

“There’s an obvious trail here. Can you find it?”

Beth dropped the crossbow from where she was wildly aiming at everything and stared intently at the ground. _It has to be here somewhere. Focus, Beth…_. The brown earth was unusually exposed in some places, the leaves there crushed. She hazarded a guess, if that wasn’t a trail she didn’t know what was.

“Got it,” she proclaimed proudly.

“Good girl,” Daryl encouraged. “Now, let’s see how you aim. And none of that Charlie’s Angels shit.”

Beth straightened and did her best crossbow-wielding-Daryl impression. “Like this?”

Suddenly she saw his hands appear on the crossbow from behind her. Chest to back, hands guiding her own to their right positions Daryl showed her how to hold it. Beth looked at his fingers over hers and thought about the other night. It seemed like another dream, she could hardly even remember it. But she knew what they had done and they hadn’t even talked about it yet. She noticed her heart beating and her chest and neck felt hot. 

“Like that,” he whispered. He gently pushed her forward to follow the tracks. She tried to focus on aiming ahead. 

Shaking those thoughts from her mind she zoned out into full hunting mode. She could do this; she was no less capable of finding this thing than the next person. All she had to do was follow a trail that would lead exactly to her target, whatever it was…

After moving a couple dozen paces without any sign of anything she was getting impatient. 

“Are we close?” she asked, brow furrowed. 

“Almost done.” He surprised her with his proximity. He was right on her heels and she barely even heard him. Meanwhile her footfalls might as well have been screaming her presence, she thought. 

“How do you know?” she asked, annoyed at herself. 

“The signs are all there, you just gotta know how to read ‘em.”

 _Okay,_ she thought, _I can read this thing._

“What are we tracking anyway?”

“You tell me,” he said.

That bothered her. She dropped the crossbow and looked back at him. 

“You’re the one who wanted to learn,” he defended.

Beth sighed and looked back down at the trail, thinking. “Something came through here, but the pattern’s all zizaggy… it’s a walker!” She didn’t even need reassurance before continuing to follow the trail. 

“Maybe it’s a drunk,” Daryl teased.

Beth ignored that. “I’m getting good at this,” she said. “Pretty soon I won’t be needing you at all.”

“Yeah, keep on tracking,” he grumbled. 

After a few more paces the trail led to a clearing. They both heard the growling and loud chewing of the walker a little ways off. It had it’s back turned, hunched over on the ground eating some sort of rodent, it’s entrails falling out in chunks on the ground. It was still too far away to get a clear head shot, though, so Beth crept as stealthily as possible towards it.

Then she was on the ground, left ankle searing in pain. The walker heard her, turned and began making for her. She barely had enough time to aim and shoot at it, only to miss the back of its skull, shooting straight through the neck instead. All she managed to do was make it take one step back. 

Daryl sped past her, grabbing the weapon on his way. A soft _thud_ of its skull from the impact of the butt of the crossbow and the walker was down. She looked at her ankle, the boot on that foot caught in a rusty bear trap. He was at her foot in an instant, prying off the old device. 

“Does it hurt?” he asked, out of breath.

“Just a little,” she replied. There was an ache when she tried to move it around.

Daryl looked around them and then reached out his hand. “C’mon, lemme get you up.” 

Taking his left hand in hers Beth let him pull her up to stand. He still held her while she tested putting some weight on her ankle. It didn’t seem like it would be able to take much, but she could manage with it for a time while it healed on it’s own. Beth felt him squeeze her hand.

“Can you walk?”

“I could try,” she said, but as soon as she tried to take a step the pain came rushing back. She almost fell back down if it weren’t for Daryl grabbing her around the waist.

“Daryl…”

“Sorry,” he stammered.

“No, it’s alright. I think I need help.”

With that he brought her arm around his shoulder. Beth leaned her weight against him as they hobbled on out of the clearing. The circumstances were looking pretty miserable now. Lost in a forest full of mindless predators and a broken ankle to boot. A sliver of nervousness crept over her. This time, she was doomed for good.

“Not bad for a first shot, huh?” She managed a smile despite her thoughts. 

“Next time aim a little higher, Greene,” he grunted.

“Sorry, I was busy getting caught in a bear trap,” she replied. “Besides, even when I was down I got pretty close.”

“S’alright, dumbass was three feet from you. Not a great time to fire a long range weapon anyway.”

Beth sighed. “So you think I could get more practice with it later?”

“O’course. You need it pretty bad,” he smirked at her. “The _head_ , Greene, not the neck.” 

She nudged his chest a little. “I _know_ that.”

The little shove made him grab at her waist a little tighter to keep balance. Beth felt that hand's presence like the sunshine on her naked skin. She looked up at him only to find those pale blue eyes looking down at her through his mussed up hair.

“Listen, girl,” he said, “about the other night…” Beth felt her heart beat hard. He hesitated. “I shoulda never done that. I dunno- I ain’t never drinking like that again.”

Beth was surprised to find she felt a little disappointed at that. _He only did that ‘cause he was drunk?_ But then she remembered she was pretty drunk too, and they hadn’t really done much of anything compared to what they _could_ have done, knowing what she knew about sex and all that. Beth shook her head, decided against going there right now. She had to be mature about this. 

“It’s not that big a deal,” she stated, even though it kind of was. Besides the shallow groping and kisses she shared with Jimmy… Then it struck her. She hadn’t even kissed Daryl and he’d already had his hand between her legs. She swallowed, the heat of his hand on her waist making her that much hotter.

Daryl didn’t say anything, just half carried her on. She wondered desperately about what he was thinking, but knew it would be stupid to ask. 

Finally, after what seemed like forever they made it out of the forest and onto another, bigger clearing. She was tired, right leg aching from overuse. Daryl had a light sheen of sweat on his face. Before them was a cemetery and what looked to be a morgue not too far ahead. The sun was shining bright overhead, the clearest skies in days. 

“Can we stop for a bit?” she asked.

“You alright?”

“Yeah, I think I just need to sit down.” She needed more than just to sit down, in truth. Her ankle did not feel any better than before. 

She heard Daryl say something under his breath, then he wrapped the strap of his crossbow around his neck so it hung on his chest. He leaned forward with his hands behind his hips like he was about to take a giant leap and Beth stared at him in wonderment. 

“Hop on,” he said, glancing back at her surprised expression. 

“Are you serious?”

“It’s a serious piggyback.” He said. 

Beth couldn’t stop herself from giggling at that. She hopped up on his back and he did an extra jump to get her settled. His hands glided down the backs of her thighs before they locked behind her knees. It felt good.

“You’re heavier than you look,” he joked. Beth felt bad about him having to carry her, but at the same time she was grateful for the gesture. She liked the broadness of his back, and being this close to him always made her feel safest. Her arms wrapped around his chest and she held him tight as he made for the morgue.

“There might be people living there,” she said.

“I’ll handle them.”

Beth winced at that. They didn’t know how many there might be. What if Daryl were to get hurt too? 

“There’s still good people, Daryl.”

“I don’t think the good ones survive,” he countered. 

She rested her head on her arm, thinking about what awaited them in this new place.


End file.
